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The United States Air Force's robotic Boeing X-37B spaceplane returns to Earth after a classified 469-day orbital mission.
Related Wikipedia articles
United States Air Force
Air service branch of the U.S. military
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its origins to 1 August 1907, as a part of the United…Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
Boeing X-37
Reusable robotic spaceplane. Used by US military since 2010
The Boeing X-37, also known as the Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV), is a reusable robotic spacecraft. It is boosted into space by a launch vehicle, re-enters Earth's atmosphere, and lands as a spaceplane. The X-37 is operated by the Department of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities…Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
Spaceplane
Spacecraft capable of aerodynamic flight in atmosphere
A spaceplane is a vehicle that can fly and glide as an aircraft in Earth's atmosphere and function as a spacecraft in outer space. To do so, spaceplanes must incorporate features of both aircraft and spacecraft. Orbital spaceplanes tend to be more similar to conventional…Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
OTV-2
First flight of the second Boeing X-37B
OTV-2 was the first flight of the second Boeing X-37B, an American unmanned robotic vertical-takeoff, horizontal-landing spaceplane. It was launched aboard an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral on 5 March 2011, and landed at Vandenberg Air Force Base on 16 June 2012. It operated…Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
June 16
Day of the year
June 16 is the 167th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 198 days remain until the end of the year.Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)